As an environment-friendly vehicle in recent years, attention is focused on a vehicle that has a power storage device (for example, a secondary battery, capacitor, or the like) mounted and that travels by the driving force generated by a motor using electric power stored in the power storage device. Such a vehicle includes, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and the like.
In such vehicles, it is often necessary to predict the distance the vehicle can travel with the electric power remaining in the power storage device. Even if the electric power in the power storage device is depleted, the hybrid vehicle and fuel cell vehicle can travel by electric power generated through the engine or fuel cell, or by the driving force from the engine. However, in the case where the electric power of the power storage device is depleted in an electric vehicle that is absent of means for supplying electric power other than the power storage device, predicting the remaining allowed travel distance appropriately becomes critical since traveling cannot be continued unless the power storage device is charged.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-219503 (PTD 1) discloses the approach of calculating, in an electric vehicle that travels through a routine course on a regular basis, the distance the vehicle can continue to travel with the electric power currently remaining in the power storage device based on the electric consumption and travel-continued distance in the previous traveling operation of the routine course, so as to determine whether the vehicle can travel as far as the destination.